It’s been about a decade since we released the Mini GC Gas Chromatograph and educators have loved it. However, with the original version, only polar compounds such as alcohols, esters, and ketones can be injected. With the release of our new Go Direct^® Mini GC™, teachers and students can now detect both polar and nonpolar compounds, including alkanes and aromatics.

To take advantage of the expanded capabilities, new experiments, such as “Gas Chromatography Basics: Column Temperature and Loading,” are included with the product as a free download. In this experiment, students inject a polar and nonpolar compound mixture and learn how adjustments to experimental parameters affect compound separation. These parameters affect the interaction between the analytes and stationary phase, which make for a great discussion about intermolecular forces—a topic that frequently appears on the AP* Chemistry Exam.

The Go Direct Mini GC continues to use room air as the carrier gas, so there is no need to purchase an external carrier gas tank or maintain a gas filtration system. It uses Bluetooth^® wireless technology or USB to connect to computers, Chromebooks, and mobile devices. Software support is provided by the free Vernier Instrumental Analysis ™ app.

See the full list of the class of acceptable compounds and free experiments available for the Go Direct Mini GC.

*AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board, which was not involved in the production of and does not endorse this product